We seek for progress, not perfection; that’s what one of the wisest quotes says. And in the spirit of tapping more into our conscious and wise side, let’s focus on the positive; celebrate some progress made around us, while on the other hand keeping our mind open to acknowledge all that’s wrong and everything that still requires hard work towards improvement, and more progress.

Just like most urban areas in whole Indonesia, Denpasar too, has been dealing with serious trash issues for quite a long time now. The problem seems to be never ending and to find and implement a truly effective solution to fight this issue is very challenging; and even that is still a significant understatement to the situation.

The problems revolving around the island’s trash management and all the harm it causes to the environment has been escalating very quickly.  One of the significant factors contributing to this nightmare is the slight cultural shock of the modernization which has brought a rapid shift to human’s life in Bali.

While consumerism and ways of these modern days is highly associated to plastic and other types of inorganic waste, most of the population still lives by the old ways in dealing with trash, not taking into account the fact that today’s trash no longer comes in the majority of banana or teak leaves or any other organic materials like it did a few decades ago.

Needles to say, this lack of awareness in handling waste has made its immediate negative impact towards the streets and residency areas of Denpasar.  The longer this continues, the more it becomes a both literal and figurative pile of mess.

Now on the positive side of the subject, the previous mayor of the municipality of Denpasar who was still in office until recently, Mr. Ida Bagus Rai Dharmawijaya Mantra, has shown relieving and promising attention and contribution in handling the long overdue issue with the proportional sense of urgency.

During his time performing as the mayor, he implemented and supported causes and programs in effort to educate the society to shape their mindset related to waste management. He aimed to create a generation that cares about their environment starting from themselves.

Mr. Rai Mantra has managed to work with private sectors in providing solutions for household waste, voicing the severity of the issue, while raising awareness on the importance of recycling, which is supposed to be a concern of every citizen.

Forty-seven waste banks were formed, spread in four districts of Denpasar. Following that success, in August 2015, the Mayor also officially opened the city’s first Plastic Waste ATM Machine which uses the ‘Dry, Reduce, Scrubbing’ or DRS method. The first Plastic Waste ATM Machine to be operated is the one located on one of the island’s busiest markets, Pasar Kreneng. This Plastic Waste ATM Machine smart solution is claimed to be the first one in Indonesia.

Including the one mentioned above, there are currently 26 Plastic Waste ATM Machines spread around the busiest areas of the city, mostly placed in traditional markets. It is important for all of us to be informed about the locations of the ATM machines and know which one is closest to our home.

The ATM machines can be found at Ubung Bus Station, Tegal Bus Station, Wangaya Public Hospital, the Mayor’s Office of Denpasar, Sewaka Dharma Building, Badung Market, Sanglah Market, Sanglah Inpres Market, Satria Market, Sindhu Market, Gunung Agung Market, Agung Peninjauan Market, Ketapean Market, Uma Anyar Market, Kumbasari Market, Tiara Dewata Supermarket, Ramayana Mall, Tiara Monang-Maning Supermarket, Benoa Harbour, Depo Kertalangu, Cahaya Partha Jaya Waste Bank, Sedana Arsa Depo Mega Lestari Waste Bank, Restu Bumi Alam Waste Bank, Serangan Island, and DCG Waste Bank.

This pleasant form of technology named TOMRA is expected to support the raising of awareness of every other average citizen of Denpasar. It is expected to trigger a shift in the society’s lifestyle and perspective in managing their household waste.

This machine has a capacity of receiving 15 kilograms of plastic and/or aluminum per deposit. The 600 ml plastic bottle is worth Rp.50,-/ bottle, while the big bottles of 1.5 liters is worth Rp.85,-/ bottle. Soft drink cans are worth Rp.120,- / can. The ATM machine will print out a receipt which functions as a voucher which can be redeemed at the appointed partner merchants. The rates put on the items might seem pretty low, but with the multiplication of the number of items deposited, it does have an economical value.

The local government urges all people to utilize the facility provided at the closest location, and take part in the conscious culture of recycling and reducing the waste that ends up at the island’s overloaded landfill. On the other hand, this movement is of course also aimed to reduce the amount of plastic trash that has been tainting the environment all over the island.

Sure, this system is something new to the society and people’s mindset certainly won’t just change overnight. However, the fact that the facility is out there at the most visited local spots accessible to every average local person, is definitely a step forward.

There is no guarantee of when exactly Denpasar will get to the point where every household would manage to get their plastic and aluminum recycled rather than adding it up to the scary tons of plastic waste produced on the island every single day. But once again, these are certainly baby steps towards a nicer, cleaner and healthier Denpasar.

Now, since we all know that every movement like this will need all the support and participation from every individual in the society, let’s do some Google-Mapping of the above Waste ATMs locations and find the one closest to yours. It’s never too late, so let’s start now and make this movement move!